Method of handling metal



Patented May 1, `1928.

UNITED STATES n ROBERT T. ROMINE, O MOUNT CLEMENS, MICHIGAN.

METHOD 0F HANDLING METAL.

Application iiled December 27, 1926. Serial No. 157,218.

This invention relates to a method of handling metal, an importantpurpose of the invent-ion being to provide an improvedmethod of packingmetal, such as finished sheet steel, strip and bar stock, in relativelyheavy units on the floor of a freight car whereby each unit pack may beremoved bodily from the car at destination Without necessitating thebreaking up of the packs and the separate manual handling of theconstituent parts.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved method ofunloading the metal from the freight car in relatively heavy unitsWeighing a number of tons and incapable of being manually lifted. One ofthe features of theinvention resides in the fact that the metal, such assheet steel, is transported on the freight car floor in packs or bundlespositioned crosswise of the car and braced to maintain the constituentparts against such relative movement in transit as would prevent removalas units at destination. A further feature is the fact that each pack issupported on the car floor to provide spaces directly beneath the packfor lifting means whereby the pack may be lifted vertically and takenbodily from the car by transferring it to a conveying medium. t

Other objects of this invention will appear in the followingvdescription and appended claims, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings forming a part of this specification wherein like referencecharacters designate corresponding parts in the several views.

The figure is a perspective viewv illustrating one manner in which themetal is arranged for shipment lin packs on the car Hoor and alsoillustrating the method of loading or unloading the car.

Before explaining in detail the present invention, and the method ormode of operation embodied therein, Iit is to be understood that theinvention is not limited in its application to the details ofconstruction and arrangement of parts illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, since the invention is capable of other embodiments and ofbeing practised or carried out in various ways. Also it is to beunderstood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is forthe purpose of description and not of limitation, and it is not intendedto limit the invention beyond the terms ofthe several loaded car.

claims hereto appended or the requirements of the prior art. l Inaccordance with the present preferred manner of practising theinvention, a plurality of packs of metal, such as sheet steel, aregiositioned adjacent each end of the car, pre erably transversely of thecar where the length of the sheets or metal parts is less than theinside width of the car. Thus where the width of the freight car isninety six inches, packs of less length may be positioned crosswise ofthe car, and where the sheets are longer than ninety six inches theywill be arranged lengthwise of the car. The present method of arrangingthe packs or bundles with the sheets extending transversely of the caris particularly advantageous Where relatively narrow sheets'areto beshipped since a larger number of packs may be placed side by side and atthe same time in units of three to live tons capable of being liftedfrom beneath by means of suitable lifting and conveying devices, lofless capacity than necessary Where the car is loaded in approximatelyten ton units.

Frequently the freight cars are not loaded to their full capacity offorty or fifty tons, so that by loading the packs of sheet steelcrosswise of the car, for example four packs at each end of the car, theweight of each pack may approximate three or four tons thereby adaptingthe 'pack to be lifted by means of smaller capacity standard type oflifting devices, such as hand operated jacklifts, and moved bodily outof the car doorway.

The invention, therefore, enables the use of relatively simplemechanical units or devices conveniently operable wlthin the relativelyconfined area of a loaded or partially Each pack is supported on thefloor of the car and preferably spaced therefrom, and as Will be laterdescribed in detail, each pack has spaced points of su port to providefree space or clearance gierebeneath for the lifting and conveyingmeans. In addition, the pack is so supported that the mechanism'used forremovlng the pack is preferably of a character which may be supportedat' spaced points disposed on opposite sides of a vertical planeextending through the center of the p'ack. This mode of supportin thelift mechanism adjacent the ack, an of t e car with the pack,distributes the loa-d over the car floor and also insures in the sametransverse plane proper balancing of the pack and of the liftingmechanism during the lifting operation.

After the pack is lifted, it is transported through the car door or tothe Youtside of the car preferably by transferring it to a second orother conveying medium than the lifting devices, such secondary orhorizontal conveying medium being of some suitable form adapted toreceive the pack raised by the lifting mechanism and from the latter.More specifically, as illustrated in the drawing, the pack is liftedfrom beneath by lifting means, such as a plurality of jacks and thenmoved rearwardly to a point opposite the car doorway. Thereupon aplurality of gravity roll devices may be inserted beneath the pack andthe pack moved at right angles through the car doorway.

Thus, in carryingout the invention, I preferably provide mechanicalunits comprising a lifting mechanism' to raise the pack above the floorand a secondary conveying means whereby the pack is carried through thecar door, the pack being transferred vin the present instance from thelifting mechanism to the conveying medium at" a point opposite the cardoorway.

Referring to the drawing the packs of metal' S, sheet steel beingillustrated in the present instance by the way of example, are arrangedat each end of the car transversely thereto. The several packs or stacksS are supported on wood blocks B so as to provide suitable spaces orclearance between the bottom of the pack and the car floor, such as siXinches in depth to permit the introduction of a lifting means beneaththe pack at destination. It will be noted that these spaces are providedat opposite sides of the center of the pack. The packs may be bracedapart by means of suitable buttresses C placed at opposite sides of eachpack so as to prevent substantial relative movement of the sheets duringtransit. Additional bracin'g means may be provided as deemed necessaryto cause the pack to'be maintained Substantially or sufficiently intactduring transit so as to ermit unit unloading at destination. In tpresent-instance I prefer to provide binding elements on each pack so asto assist in maintaining the packs together as a unit against suchdisplacement or relative movement in transit as would prevent removal ofthe packs as units at destination. These binding or bracing elements maycomprise four horizontal angle bars D confining the longitudinal cornersof the pack at the upper' and lower longitudinal corners thereof. /Theseangle members are clamped or bound on the bundle, in the presentinstance by means of flexible cable and chain devices E encircling thepack and tightened by means of turnbuckles E. The binding or bracingele- :ments E and may be substantially the same as described in mycopending application Serial No. 104,909, filed April 27, 1926, or othersuitable devices for accomplishing this purpose may be provided, such asshown in my copending application Serial No. 137,867, filed September27, 1926.

In the embodimentlshown in Fig. l I have shown each pack supported uponthree longitudinal blocks B, one beneath the center of the pack and twoVthereof at opposite ends. If desired, additional spacing blocks may beprovided for supporting the pack. The longitudinal angles D providerigid supporting trusses for the pack, and particularly in the case ofsheet metal act to resist bowing or bending of the pack between itspoints of support which might interfere with the insertion of thelifting devices beneath the pack.

In unloading the metal at destination a pair of jacklift devices Ghaving the usual low mounted lift frames orplatforms are introducedsuccessively beneath the packs S in the spaces beneath the pack atopposite sides of the transverse vertical center' plane thereof. Anysuitable jacklift or lifting device may be used for this purpose havingthe desired height of lift platform capable of being introduced in theclearance spaces beneath the pack, and in the present instance astandard type Lewis-Shepard jacklift with a clearance preferably notgreater than six inches is shown by way of example. The wheels of thejacklifts may have a bearing upon steel plates F laid on the car floorand by manipulating the operating handles the pack is lifted verticallyto clear the supporting blocks B. Thereupon the workmen grasp theoperating handles of the jacklifts G and move the bundle rearwardly to apoint opposite the car doorway, as shown at S in the drawing` Thereupon`the pack is transferred to a secondary conveying means which in thepresent instance is in the form of a plurality of low platforms Hmounted on antifriction or gravity rolls. The gravity roll devices H,three being shown in the present instanceLare inserted in the clearancespaces beneath the pack at opposite sides of the jacklifts G. The rollerdevices are of such height as to permit the pack to be moved directlyover them when posi? tioned as shown in the drawing, spaces beingprovided between the roller devices H to receive the devices G. The liftplatforms of the latter are then lowered so as to deposit the pack onthe devices H. rIhe jacklifts are removed from beneath the pack and thelatter is then propelled directly through the car door as shown at S2 inFig. l.

It will be seen that by virtue of this method it is not necessary inconveying the pack from the end of the car through the car doorway toturn or swing the pack, nor does it require a lifting or conveyingmedium pro` vided with steering wheels, an important advantage,therefore, in the case where it is desired to use certain types of handoperated mechanical units in 'handling the heavy packs of metal.

After the pack is conveyed through or part wa through the car doorway itmay be oisted y means of an overhead crane and transported to a suitablestorage point, the mechanism of the crane being hooked into the four eyelinks at opposite sides of the pack forming part of the binding devicesE.

In loading the freight car for shipment the same apparatus as abovedescribed may be employed, it being understood that the steps of themethod would in such case be merely reversed.

It will be noted that the upward thrust of the lifting devices G or Jwill be taken by the angle iron truss members D, which not only preventsagging or bowing o-f the pack but also prevent damage to thevhighlyfinished metal sheets. These angles also render the pack rigid againstbendlng when lifted by means of a crane hooked into the four eye linksof the binder elements E. In addition these angle members enable thebinding elements to be tightened against the pack without damaging thecorners thereof and assist in resisting tendency of t-he sheets to lidewhen the car is subjected to shocks.

What I claim is:

1. The hereindescribed method of unloading metal, such as Isheet metal,arranged in packs one in front of another adjacent the end of the carwith the packs extending transversely of the car, which consists insupporting lifting means beneath the pack at opposite sides of thetransverse centre of the pack, lifting the pack and conveying itsidewise through the medium of said lifting means to a point oppositethel car doorway,

transferring the pack to a second conveying medium positioned on the cariioor opposite the car doorway, and then moving the pack endwisethrough-the car dorway.

2.- .Ihe hereindescribed method of loading metal, such as sheet metal,in a freight car which consists in moving the pack endwise through thecar doorway'into the car by means of a conveying medium positioned onthe car floor, transferring the pack at a point opposite the car doorwayto a second conveying medium supporting the pack at opposite sides ofthe transverse centre thereof, moving the pack sidewise and in adirection longitudinally of the car, lowering the pack and the carfloor, which consists in inserting lifting devices beneath the pack inthe spaces between said supporting members, lifting the pack from saidmembersl and moving 'it on said devices longitudinally of the car to apoint opposite the car doorway, lowering the pack and transferring it toconveying devices positioned on the cariioor opposite the car doorway,and moving the pack on said conveying devices transversely of the carthrough the car doorway.

4. The hereindescribed method of shiping and handling metal, such assheet metal, which consists in transporting the packs of metal one infront of another adjacent the end of a freight car, supporting liftingdevices beneath the pack at opposite sides of the center of the pack,lifting the pack through the medium of said devices and conveying itlongitudinally of the car to a point opposite the car doorway,transferring the pack to a conveyingr medium positioned on the car ooropposite the car doorway, and then moving the pack on said conveyingmedium transversely of the car through the car doorway.

5. The hereindescribed method of unloading metal, such as sheet metal,transported in packs one in front of another adjacent the end of afreight car, which consists in supporting lifting devices beneath thepack at opposite sides of the center of the pack, lifting the packthrough the medium of said devices and conveying it longitudinally ofthe car to a point opposite the car doorway, transferring the pack to aplurality of roller devices positioned on the car floor with spacestherebetween to receive said lifting devices, and moving the pack andsaid roller devices transversely of the car through the car doorway.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.V

ROBERT T. ROMINE.

